Posted
by
samzenpus
on Thursday September 19, 2013 @04:29AM
from the a-lot-of-cheese dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V was released at midnight yesterday, and to no surprise has managed to break the record for highest sales in 24 hours. Distributors Take-Two Interactive have announced that the game has managed to achieve a staggering $800m (£490m) worth of sales within the first day, and is certainly going to break the forecasted $1 billion within the week. The record was previous held by Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops which made $500m within 24 hours in 2009. The game also holds the title for the quickest entertainment product to achieve $1 billion in sales as they hit the mark by day 15."

You can have a refined, bug-free, well-performing PC release after the console versions are done, or you can have a crappy, poorly optimised version day-and-date with the console release, but you can't have both. Rockstar North favour the former. EA has you well served with the latter, if for some reason you prefer it.

Unless you're suggesting they should've just sat on the finished console versions for a few months while they finished the PC release, just to save you from feeling slighted.

You can have a refined, bug-free, well-performing PC release after the console versions are done, or you can have a crappy, poorly optimised version day-and-date with the console release, but you can't have both. Rockstar North favour the former.

How do you explain GTA4? It was delayed a year and performed like shit on PC when it was released. GTA was originally a PC game and they have been treating PC as a second class citizen lately.

Taking time is a necessary but not sufficient condition for doing a good job. I'm not sure what platform the first GTA game came out in matters to this discussion; as a game completed for MS-DOS and latterly ported to other platforms it's hardly relevant to the multiplatform development of a modern game..

I don't know, maybe I'm weird, but I love FPS games, play them constantly (just blasted through some Borderlands II last night, hence why I'm a dreary eyed zombie at work right now) but I just don't get what the big fucking whoop was about the Halo series. The guns were VERY "pew pew" and just didn't have any real power behind them, the vehicles all handled like ass, the writing was VERY predictable, the levels kinda boring and other than a few cute lines from the little fat minions (which got old REAL fast

Battlefield 3 would be an example. Launched the same day on all platforms and worked well on all of them.

It really isn't a big deal to simultaneously develop for multiple platforms and when you get down to it the PC is likely more similar to the Xbox 360 than the 360 is to the PS3 in terms of development tools and style.

The problem is Rockstar are console heads, for various reasons, and relegate the PC release to second class status.

You can also see it with shit like GTA 4. Not only did it come out way afte

I disagree with that and for two reasons.
First, while there is a chance the total sales of PC+PS3+360 may be bigger than PS3+360 alone, that doesn't always hold true, as sometimes the only thing you succeed in is in shifting the console sales to the PC(not even talking about piracy). Also actively supporting PCs increase the development and marketing and post sale supporting costs. Yes I know that console games are developed on PCs and most likely Rockstar has a working build of GTA5 for their PCs, but, as you said yourself, they are not optimized and most likely will require monster PCs to run well (see GTA4).
Second, and IMO most important reason, marketing 101 dictates that you should milk the cashcow as much as possible. If you release such an overhyped mainstream game on a limited selection of platforms such as current gen consoles you WILL attract people from other platforms such as the PC and the people waiting for the next gen consoles regardless. Then you re-release the game on the next gen consoles with better graphics and performance, inducing a lot of people to rebuy your game. Then, finally, you release your game on the PC, inducing a final third wave of sales.
You must remember that Rockstar just like the overwhelming majority of game companies, publishers or "indies", are not "for-gamer" but for-profit corporation. It's part of their mission to minimax their losses and profits above anything.

I've been a PC only gamer since the late 90s and to GTA V I have a big old...meh. After GTA IV and the whole "take me bowling" bit [escapistmagazine.com] and comparing it to the batshit crazy fun of flying down the street on a broomstick or sucking up gangbangers in what looks like a giant Hello Kitty mobile (if the kitty went on a 3 day crack binge) and launching the gangbangers from the attached cannon several blocks into enemy vehicles?

I don't know about anybody else but when i play a sandbox i want total batshit balls to the wall FUN with a capital F made from fire and awesome and until another Just Cause comes out so I can grapple pursuing cars to the street and recreate the scene from T3 again I'll take the Saints Row series. The action is more extreme, the missions are often challenging without being frustrating, I just find the Saints games to be more FUN. From what I have seen so far it looks like GTA V has gone even further into that whole "dark, depressing, and gritty" feel and real life has enough of that already, thanks. What GTA needs is another Vice City so I can do 140+ MPH in a Hawaiian shirt and jump what feels like miles while Flock of Seagulls blasts on the stereo, now THAT was FUN.

GTA plays far better on a PC with a mouse and keyboard than with a controller and I'm quite certain that lots of PC owners would appreciate the mindless entertainment of playing it. It's not like the PC is lacking its share of first person shooters, sandbox games etc. demonstrating there is a market. Saints Row 4 just came out on the PC for example.

A more likely reason is that PC games typically retail for less, suffer higher rates of piracy and must cope with a wider variety of hardware which must all be developed and tested for with higher resolutions and assets to boot. I assume that all these reasons play their part in consoles taking over from PCs in the last few years. Perhaps with digital download services like Steam and wannabes taking off that the PC market is more attractive than it was a few years back.

I Seriously wish the consoles would just get on with it, and encourage everybody to use a keyboard and mouse. Or at least something that gives a similar level of control, but can still be used on a couch, like a trackball, and a boatload of buttons/keys. Some custom controller with a trackball with about 4 buttons, plus about half a keyboard's worth of keys, could easily sit on your lap, and would allow much better control in most first person games than we currently get with gamepads. To this day, the only first person game I really enjoyed on console was Metroid Prime (GC), because it was mostly about exploring, and not fast reflexes. Still, I didn't ever finish it, because later in the game, it becomes pretty difficult, and the distance between savepoints is too far. The part where I quit was when I was 45 minutes from the previous checkpoint, following a walkthrough (because I was convinced I was going the wrong way), only to die because of an onslaught of enemies. Probably still about 20 minutes from the next save point. After a couple times doing that, I just stopped playing. I never understood why anybody enjoyed first person games on consoles. The love everyone seems to have for GoldenEye just blows my mind.

The game is incredible, if you're a fan of the GTA series, they've really addressed many issues with the game. The storyline is told better and more compelling than previous ones (that includes Gay Tony, which was quite good)

The graphics / environment / effects - god knows how they achieved this, I do not know. Yes some things like Uncharted look nicer but they are a very linear closed environment. For an open world game, it's utterly staggering. I'm playing on PS3 and the resolution seems higher than GTA4, there's more detail and there's more you can do AND the draw distance is further. The frame rate while not a flawless 30 all the time seems honestly better than GTAIV at most times.

The humour, satire, writing in general is utterly tip top. I am not cringing at lines or groaning at character decisions. As usual the commercials (billboard, radio, TV) are just fantastic, some of the random one liners amazing. The stuff they've added like the random mission encounters are awesome. I really can't complain about this at all in any way.I'm about 35 hours into it (picked it up midnight Monday night) and about 2/3 of the way through it I'd say. It's just brilliant, it really is.If you want to wait for the PC or oft wished for PS4 editions, go for it - but posting in reply here how inferior this is, pointless - the game is great, you can play it right now. If you want to complain that it's crap because "it doesn't do XYZ that Saints Row does" - good for you, hit up Saints Row!This world blends together so many immersive things, it's just incredible. I love the shit out of this game.$89 AUD? In hindsight I think I would've gladly paid $189 AUD. Just brilliant.

That's because the resolution is higher. GTA4 ran at 1280x720 on the 360, but 1152x640 on the PS3, because the architectures between the two consoles are completely different and Rockstar had an easier time optimizing for the 360. It's the same with Saints Row 4. For GTA5, Rockstar has had a lot more time to really get to know the PS3, so consequently the game runs at full resolution on both consoles with at most a 1-2fps difference in performance in certain busy scenes (mostly in cutscenes, oddly enough).

As with previous entries in the series (*), there are apparently a lot of subtle references that only people in Scotland (where the game was designed)- or at least Britain- will spot, without alienating everyone else or spoiling the atmosphere.

You didn't fix anything. You broke a perfectly fine comment. We're not talking about any asshole AAA title. We're talking about fucking Grand Theft Auto here. I haven't bought an AAA title in years and I'm about to go out and get GTAV as soon as it's convenient. It is, in all likelihood, the last AAA title I ever buy because I won't buy first-sale-killing DRM'd Steam games, the Wii U seems dumb to me*, and Microsoft and Sony are both pure, concentrated evil and I think anyone giving them money at this point

Agreed. I haven't turned on my XBox360 in a year, but I just might for this game.

I won't be buying another console, unless there is a REALLY compelling reason. I'm not seeing it right now. The last few games I've really enjoyed have been Kickstarter driven, and Wasteland 2 isn't that far off...

I'd love to live in a world where AAA games were just 8 hours long. Completing even something like Alan Wake took me months. I'm always on the lookout for something like an MGS or Resident Evil game that I can thoroughly explore within a week or two with a minimum of padding.

8 hours? I've played GTA5 for about 10 hours by now, and according to the game itself, I'm around 16% through with the story missions, never mind all the optional side missions and activities, gun smuggling, races, random events, treasure hunts and collectibles. Or the fact all of the heists can be played through multiple times with different approaches. Or the random dicking around that a GTA game always lends itself so well to, thanks to the wonderfully detailed world and enormous possibilities for outright mayhem they put in your hands.

Some AAA games are linear and more like semi-interactive movies than actual games, true. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. A 100% slick, well-produced, well-told and immersive story has a value of its own, even if it is linear. Do you complain that your movies and books are too linear, as well?

I agree with you there. I don't go to the pub very often, but last time I went, it was about $8 for a pint of good beer. Even the mass market domestic beers were over $6. That's a lot of money to ask for a beer. $60 for a game that I will play for 30 hours just to finish the first time around (I don't play GTA, but the games buy usually take at least this long), are totally worth it. In terms of "total entertainment value", video games are probably one of the best deals out there.

Various independent estimates (presumably based on Rockstar's public financials and staff numbers) put it in at $200-$300m. That means it was about as expensive as Avatar too, assuming they both have similar marketing spends.

And I would not be surprised if those "first day" sales also included all the pre-orders that people have been laying out for months ahead of time in anticipation.

It's impressive numbers to be sure, and certain to impress the beancounters, but don't read more into it than that. Just going by the dollar signs isn't enough to gauge the overall impact or popularity of a blockbuster game versus a blockbuster movie, for instance.

Still, well-deserved and kudos to Rockstar. While I haven't liked everything about t

Here at least, I've heard about the game in the "News" again and again. (Belgium)

Such or such shop exceptionnaly opened at 22:00 so people could queue and buy the game at 00:00 (here shops are usually closed at 18:30).Such or such "expert" speaking about the influence on the children of such "an incredibely well done game, so realistic and with such an incredible level of freedom...".

Is it so amazing that, with so much coverage, people not knowing anything about games would have an incentive, an urge, to put their hands on that "phenomenon" ?

I only remember that GTA IV was so boring, so repetitive and so identical to the previous ones that I put it aside for some other game.Still, GTA IV was also highly rated and heavily advertised/covered by "journalists".

I'd vote you up on this one but don't want to use my mod points.
Sorry, but I want to make a comment or two about how broken slashdot has become.
1. I filter my page to give me high rating comments. Unfortunately I have to pick ALL because if I pick INTERESTING, or INFORMATIVE, or INSIGHTFUL I can't get FUNNY or any other category. So/. Why not combine at least three of these and allow me to filter on more than one category.
2. Too many mod points are given out if the system is going to continue to functio

"Young Staten Island men impersonate police officers to skip line to buy Grand Theft Auto VKirolos Abdel Sayed, 19, Matthew Kirshen, 20, and Frank Santanastoso, 19, drove to the Staten Island Mall in what appeared to be an unmarked car complete with lights and sirens only to have their fun ended by real police officers."

Seriously it never ceases to amaze me the morons that go and do something stupid like this to get a copy of a game without waiting in line. You don't have to do that anymore. You go and order on Amazon, and they'll have it sent to your house, on release day. No waiting in line, no BS, it just gets delivered to you.

While the irrational need to have a new game RIGHT NAO is stupid enough (and I say this as a huge gamer) you don't have to wait in line, there's jus

Compared to what? GTA is one of the most free-form and detailed virtual worlds there is. It's filled with beauty, technical awesomeness and humour. Are you just not a fan of games in general? What did you think of Red Dead Redemption?

I loved Saints Row 2 (didn't try the first as it sounded like a poor quality knock-off of GTA). It seemed like the spiritual successor to the GTA 3 games. They didn't take themselves nearly as seriously as GTA IV did. I've not played enough of V to know how it compares properly to the previous games (only done a couple of missions), but so far it definitely feels like a more enjoyable place to be than Liberty City in GTA IV.

You should play Vice City or San Andreas if you want to see why everyone loves GTA s

IV felt like it took itself too seriously sometimes, but hopefully V is back to form.

I personally really appreciated that GTA4 was more like a contemporary drama. But I also like silly games. I believe it's time for a re-envisioning of Interstate '76... in the RAGE engine. And with Rockstar-quality writing.

Gameplay matters. Making fake virtual "ads" and AK47's is pretty dull and has been done to death. Wrapping them together in a package, throwing some nice shaders, and textures down, doesn't make a work of art.

Gameplay and Story both matter. What GTA's got, especially since San Andreas, is some of the best story around. If you don't like the genre you won't like the game, but that doesn't change the fact that they have a well-developed story.

Also, you may think the gameplay is dull, but GTA successfully combines several different kinds of gameplay in a way that clearly captivates many players, perhaps even a majority of them. And I find the fake ads hilarious, and that the game world would feel dull and empty wit

Interesting. There is a subset of gamers who will kill prolifically enough for a media smorgasbord. It may well be the violence in the game translates to/fosters violence in real life. There is also a correlation between those who play FPS games and those who drink milk. There are too many milk drinkers in the world anyway.~

Just because you dont enjoy something doesn't mean people who do are 'sheep'. You sound like a jerk, because you are.

60 dollars for a few hundred hours of entertainment isn't a bad deal. Its not entertainment if you dont like the game, which you clearly are dead set to not like. Good for you! So dont buy it.

Not buying something doesn't make you smart, it means you know what you like. That may sugest some wisdom but when your reason is "Because you're all SHEEP!" that more or less shows you're neither wise or smart. You just want to have something to hold over people to try to feel superior because you're not. When the best you can do is not doing something, it only shows how truly pitiful you are. I'm almost sorry for you.

I am not paying $60 to sit in some stuffy restaurant where they serve little bits of food on big plates. I'm also not paying $60 for some musical stage thing where all they do is sing show tunes. Definately not paying $60 to go deep sea fishing just so I can sit out in the hot sun, stink, and drink cheap beer.

I'll probably pay $60 to sit in the sun and watch a bunch of cowboys get bucked Oof of horses and bulls. And would pay $60 for a pile of comics at the comic book store. I'd even pay $60 for Elder ScrollsVI and waste a lot of hours there.

I any of y'all like or dislike stuff that is different from me, y'all are fools but if you do like the same things as me you're all posers who are trying to muscle in on my groove and now I hate the stuff I used to like.

Remember, nothing is any good if other people like it -and- nothing is any good if other people like stuff I don't.

They "lack depth?" In what aspect? They're sandbox style games. GTA has some of the biggest maps with the most you can do in them. It's quite deep compared to other games in that reguard.

If you're talking about "it has a shallow plot" then you need to realize you aren't reading a book. You are playing a sandbox style game.

If you are complaining about shallow driving, shooting, and dart minigames, then you need to realize you aren't playing a driving simulator, a shooter, or a dart videogame. You are playing a sandbox style game.

Why not just say "overrated?" The hipsters do it for a reason: no one can argue with overrated, and it shows your disdain of the vulgar pleasures of the commonfolk. If you find one guy who says "I LUV GTA! IT'S THE BEST!' then you can accurately say that the game is overrated. If you make more specific picks about a popular game you hate simply because it's popular, you could be wrong.

I've gotta say that the minigames in GTA4 are anything but shallow. Even the pool game is way more complicated than it seems at first. The precise way you wiggle the stick as you hit the cue ball is completely relevant, not just the english point you set before striking. Bowling likewise. I can't imagine they'd have made the minigames in the new title any less complex. Similarly, the driving is quite detailed; it is however frustrating because of map errors and slow loading, for example when you hit a seam

It's conventional in the entertainment business to do these comparisons with unadjusted dollars, but given that the previous record holder came out just a few years ago, and this has beaten it by almost a factor of two, it's moot.

It is a rookie karma whore mistake to poke fun at the zoo keepers.
Taco is playing GTA V and will get back to you after he checks his stock quotes on his windows phone.
I could be wrong, but I think the moderation dice(.com) are loaded. It does not surprise me that fantasy is a better business than reality because reality is hard and it guarantees no reward. It is the old mouse experiment from the 1960s. You give a mouse a button that stimulates the pleasure center in the brain and they will never eat agai

What's wrong with a game that's easily-accessible, but contains some depth and focuses on telling a compelling story of crime, redemption and struggle, while giving you an immersive living open world where you can go as hog wild as you like? Who cares if it's "casual" or "for brogrammers"? It's fun, goddammit, that's what counts. If you'd step down from your elitist "PC gaming is best gaming I'm not listening lalalalalala" throne, you'd be able to see that.

Since when does PC necessarily mean small screen? A second PC in the living room can output HDMI to any TV made in the past six years. So can a laptop. Put a mouse and keyboard on a tray table and start gaming.

Maybe because they can walk out of the store with the console for less than it costs to buy the worst PC in the electronics store? Are you the kind of guy who sneers at people buying the ordinary toilet paper and not your preferred $10 super-quilted variety?

Try full 720p at 30fps. It looks great, it runs great, the controls are very responsive and the gameplay is excellent.

It's not ~AMAZING PC GAMING OMG GRAFIX XXXTREME!~ snobby PC elitist approved, but the game looks awesome and runs ridiculously well on what is 7-8 year old hardware by now.

What does "locked down" even mean in this context? I buy a game, I put it in the drive, I play the game and I have fun with it. Isn't that what gaming is about? Fun? Is it because it's harder to pirate console games? Is it

What does "locked down" even mean in this context? I buy a game, I put it in the drive, I play the game and I have fun with it. Isn't that what gaming is about? Fun?

To some people, gaming is about being able to choose your fun. This can involve downloading and installing a mod once you tire of the vanilla game. Or it can involve installing an indie game whose developer is still seeking a publisher to bring it to the consoles. It can even involve helping to make a mod or an indie game, if that's how you swing. PC gamers can become the ruler of the fun kingdom [nocookie.net].

I can choose my fun just fine, in fact I choose to play GTA V on my console because it's super fun. Perhaps after a couple of hours with GTA V, I'll choose to turn on my PC and play one of the interesting indie games I've supported on kickstarter. Or perhaps I'll choose play that 5-6 year old blockbuster game that I didn't play when it first came out, but now it was on sale. Or perhaps I'll choose to fire up Doom again and play around with some mods.